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Now I'm abroad, and my girlfriend is still in my country, her birthday was two days ago and I said " If I were there, I would do everything I could to pamper you"

Is that the correct usage of If I were or I should have said If I was?

Thanks in advance

Adaam
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According to the Advanced Grammar in Use (2nd edition) by Martin Hewings, Cambridge University Press:

  • in real conditionals we usually use a present tense verb in the if-clause to talk about the future: "If you leave now, you'll be able to catch the 5 o'clock train";
  • in unreal conditionals we can use if ... were + to-infinitive rather than if + past simple to talk about imaginary future situations, particularly to suggest it is unlikely that the situation in the if-clause will happen: "If the technology were to become available, we would be able ..."

In unreal conditional sentences we can use were after any subject in the if-clause, including singular first and third person subjects (e.g. I/she/he/it). This use of were is sometimes called the past subjunctive, and is generally preferred only in formal contexts: "If your mother were here, I am sure she wouldn't let you eat all those chocolates". Was can be used instead of were with the same meaning. However, we prefer were rather than was when we give advice with If I were you ....

Thus, it seems that both versions have the same meaning and are correct with the first one (with were) being a formal one.

Olena
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  • I think the scenario is a little trickier. The birthday was two days ago; however the speaker would pamper his girlfriend today but they are living in two different countries. Is he talking about the past event or the present? – Mari-Lou A Jun 18 '20 at 07:26
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I think use of I were there is perfect

Rushikesh kalikar
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    You should explain why this is the case. – KillingTime Jun 18 '20 at 05:21
  • Asked question is completely hypothetical. For that hypothetical situation was keyword is inappropriate. – Rushikesh kalikar Jun 18 '20 at 05:58
  • Please add the explanation IN the answer box. This is not an English quiz site, where giving the right answer is sufficient to move onto the next level. ELU is a site that is supposed to help all learners. * Why* is "were" the correct response? – Mari-Lou A Jun 18 '20 at 07:19